30 May 2014
Group photo (from left) - Dr Catherine Jessus, Director INSB, CNRS; Dr Nakita Vodjdani, Director of International Relations, ANR; Mr Bertrand Pous, Cultural Counsellor, Director of Institut Français Singapour; Prof Low Teck Seng, CEO, NRF; Prof Tan Chorh Chuan, President, NUS; Prof Bertil Andersson, President, NTU
France and Singapore have signed a series of science and technology agreements to strengthen research, talent investment and technology capabilities development between both countries.
The collaborations between France and Singapore include:
Joint call for collaborative research projects
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Agence National pour la Recherche (ANR) and the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore (NRF) to fund French-Singapore collaborative research projects in areas such as materials, nano technologies and nano systems.
Agreements between France and Singapore universities and research bodies
Agreements were signed between the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Thales Solutions Asia for the establishment and renewal of the following research entities.
- Merlion-MajuLab: This international research laboratory includes research groups from CNRS, NUS and NTU to conduct advanced and interdisciplinary research in a wide range of areas, including quantum physics, quantum information, quantum computing, 2D materials and soft condensed matter, nanoscale physics and laser physics.
- BioMechanics of Cellular Contacts Lab: This laboratory includes researchers from CNRS and NUS to understand the coupling between the mechanics, the spatial organisation of proteins and the biological properties of cell contacts.
- Renewal of CINTRA: The CNRS International - NTU - Thales Research Alliance (CINTRA), established in 2009, conducts research in nanotechnologies for electronics, photonics, and relation applications. With the renewal of the collaboration, more than 50 Singaporean and French researchers will work on nanoelectronics and nanophotonics technologies to help solve societal issues relating to health, transportation, security, energy, environment and communications
The current international research lab, the Image & Pervasive Access Lab (IPAL), developed the Snap2Tell technology which uses image recognition to access content using a camera phone, allowing it to act as a virtual tour guide for tourists.
CNRS Representative Office in Singapore
The CNRS Representative Office for Southeast Asia will be relocated to Singapore. Located in the Biopolis, it will serve as a hub for CNRS' French partners seeking to establish contacts here. With the signings, CNRS now has the second highest presence in Singapore, following the USA (based on the number of international research labs and research talent investment).
Click on the white information icon (i) on the top left corner of the box for details of each signing.